International “Water is Life” poster competition for students

All students of art, design, graphic and communication de-sign and architecture are invited to submit poster designs for the international “Water is Life 2014/2015” competition.The aim of the competition is to raise awareness of the vital importance of access to water among the broader public through international “Water is Life” exhibitions.

Water is a human rightWater is source of sustenance, a means of transport, a source of energy, the backbone of ecosystems, and an essential economic and cultural good. It is also not as plentiful as it may seem.

People cannot live without water“Around two thirds of our bodies consist of water; some 75% of our brain is made up of water,” explains Bolivia’s UN Ambassador, Pablo Solón. “Water is the principal vehicle for the electrochemical transmissions of our body and helps to regulate the temperature of our body. It is possible to survive for several weeks without food, but it is not possible to survive more than a few days without water.” Nevertheless, millions of people have to survive everyday without clean water. “Diarrhoea is the second largest cause of death among children. Lack of access to potable water kills more people than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.” Spea-king in front of the UN General Assembly, Solón paused for a moment: “That was just three and a half seconds. Every three and a half seconds a child dies because it does not have clean water.”According to the OECD, the ongoing growth of populations, urbanisation, globalisation and economic growth will lead to a 55% increase in the demand for water by 2050. By that time 2.3 billion people will not have adequate access to water, in particular in Africa and Central Asia. The United Nations University Declaration on Human Rights affirms the right to safe and clean drinking water – a right that is, however, not binding under international law.Despite major advances in the past decades, 780 million people still have inadequate access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation facilities. It is not utopian to aim to provide everyone with safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.To this end, we need competent and committed action from person to person in order to make water resources and a humane access to drinking water accessible to everyone.

Terms of participationWho can take part?All students of art, design, graphic and communication design and architecture can take part in the competition, as long as they are enrolled in a state or private art college or university at the time of entering. Graduates can also take part if they completed their studies less than twelve months ago.The competition is open to all countries. Excluded from the competition are posters that have been previously published or publicised before 1 August 2013.

Poster topicThe subject is “Water is Life”: we recommended that you conduct thorough research, as the topic is wide-ranging in scope, touching not just on biological aspects of life but also on political and economic issues.

Content-related, formal and legal requirementsAll posters have to include the following text:• in German: “Wasser ist Leben”, or• in English: “Water is Life”• and the “Water for Life 2005–2015” logo (the logo can be downloaded from posterart–2-waterislife.com)Further text, information or slogans can be added if desired.

Up to 4 posters can be submitted per entrant (as individual works or as a series). All posters must be submitted digitally (by uploading them online) and must meet the following requirements:1. Format: DIN A4 (21.0 cm x 29.7 cm, portrait or lands-cape format)2. Resolution: 400 – 600 dpi3. Colour mode: RGB4. File format: JPEG (Quality factor: 10 – 12)5. Maximum file size: 15 MB6. File name (This should be named as follows: first name, surname, country, date (year-month-day) and, if several submissions are made, please number them consecu-tively). Example: ‘John_Doe_USA_2014–11–08_No.01’7. Brief description of the poster concept (see online form)

Through the completion and submission of the competition form (to be completed online and submitted with the uploaded poster file!), the entrant confirms that he or she is the exclusive copyright holder and author of the poster.

Submission of the competition form also authorises the competition organisers to use the submitted posters in one or more exhibitions, on its competition homepage, in a catalogue and for publicity purposes for the exhibition(s). Usage beyond this scope will be negotiated on an indivi-dual basis. Only posters that meet these criteria will qualify for entry in the competition!There is no right of appeal.

Prizes 1st prize: 5000 Euros 2nd prize: 3000 Euros 3rd prize: 2000 Euros

PublicationAn expert judging panel will select the best 100 entries, which will be presented in a catalogue and shown world-wide in a travelling exhibition. The 100 successful entrants will all receive a free copy of the catalogue.In addition to awarding the prizes, the organisers may also elect to purchase additional individual posters.

Judging panelThe jury comprises a panel of international experts on pos-ter art and design and representatives of the organisers, the ZVSHK.

Deadline for entriesYour poster(s) must be uploaded digitally by midnight (24:00 GMT) on 31 December 2014. The online submissi-on form will then be closed.

RegistrationComplete the online competition application form and upload your poster file(s) for submissions.www.posterart–2-waterislife.com

Time scheduleAfter the closing date (31 Dec 2014, 24:00 GMT), the judging panel will start judging the entries. A list of winners will be published online from 22 March 2015 onwards on the competition homepage: www.posterart–2-waterislife.com

The three prize winning entries will be informed in advance by the competition organisers.

The 100 nominations will be exhibited at the ISH 2015 international trade fair in Frankfort from 10–14 March 2015. On World Water Day, the 22 March 2015, the exhi-bition of the poster competition will open at the German Federal Press Office in Berlin. The top three winners will receive their awards during the opening ceremony.